Vegan Breakfast Casserole
This easy vegan breakfast casserole recipe features layers of biscuits, sausage, tofu scramble, and cheddar cheese, all vegan. It’s full of your favorite breakfast flavors. You’ll love the make-ahead tips to make preparing this casserole as fun for you as everyone eating it!
We had family over recently, and I made this vegan breakfast casserole to serve early the next morning. A cheesy casserole baking in the oven creates an enticing aroma. Everyone loved it — even the non-vegans!
I’ve decided from this point on a vegan breakfast casserole is the best way to welcome rising guests.
A traditional breakfast casserole includes layers like biscuits, sausage, scrambled eggs, and cheese. However, it was so easy to make the layers in this breakfast casserole vegan.
What Makes This Recipe Shine?
- A flaky buttermilk crust creates the best foundation for any breakfast casserole
- Vegan sausage crumbles are a flavorful plant-based protein
- Adding vegan cheddar shreds on top creates cheesy goodness in every bite, making the most irresistible vegan breakfast ever
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
- Vegan Biscuits — Make your own using all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, vegan butter, and vegan buttermilk. Or you can use store-bought biscuits, many of which are accidentally vegan.
- Easy Scrambled Tofu — This takes around 10 minutes to make.
- Veggie Sausage Crumbles — Use store-bought sausage crumbles or bake your own.
- Vegan cheddar shreds —Either Daiya or Follow Your Heart vegan cheddar shreds work great
How to Make Vegan Breakfast Casserole
Here is a summary of the steps to make this tasty dish. See the recipe card below for more detailed instructions (with step-by-step photos).
- Make the biscuits homemade or use store-bought biscuits.
- Lay biscuits or press homemade biscuit dough into the bottom of a prepared pan.
- Prepare the tofu scramble.
- Cook the vegan sausage and spread them out over the sausage layer.
- Top with tofu scramble, spreading it evenly over the dish.
- Are you adding potatoes? If so, sprinkle them evenly over the tofu layer.
- Top with vegan cheese shreds. See more on the ways to melt vegan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake until the cheese has melted and the biscuit layer is done.
- Remove the foil and bake for a few more minutes, to get a crispy golden crust around the edges.
I am fascinated with the idea of making perfect biscuits. This article by Joe Sevier about The Fluffiest Biscuits Ever has some great advice on doing just that.
To make the breakfast casserole gluten-free, substitute all-purpose flour with gluten-free baking flour.
Don’t want to use tofu scramble? Look at this vegan frittata with Just Egg. It’s a great example of how you can make vegan scramble without tofu.
Quick Fix Tip
You can skip making the vegan biscuit from scratch and use a 16-ounce can of store-bought biscuits. See these Accidentally Vegan Products for vegan biscuits to buy. There are eight biscuits in a can. Cut the biscuits into quarters and layer them in the bottom of the pan. This is a great time saver!
Marly’s Tips
Sometimes vegan cheese may take a little bit more heat to melt. If so, turn up the oven temperature by 15 degrees for the last 5 minutes to coax that vegan cheese to melt.
Make-Ahead Tips
When making breakfast, you don’t want to spend the entire day in the kitchen. This is especially true if you have family in town (Unless they’re that kind of family, then, by all means, tell them the recipe takes lots of time… Wink, wink).
Casseroles are a great way of making an easy meal because you put everything into one dish and bake it all together.
If you’ve got a big gathering in the morning, you can make this dish the night before. Here’s how:
- Make this casserole the night before by compiling all the ingredients into your prepared casserole dish.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, turn on the oven and remove the casserole from the fridge and let it sit while the oven preheats.
- Bake the casserole as suggested.
Breakfast Casserole Flavor Options
When it comes to this casserole, you’ve got options for what you put inside it. I’m more of a maximalist when it comes to flavor, so I say add it all! Play around with these flavor option ideas until you find your favorite mix.
- Tater Tots — Add rows of tater tots on top of the tofu scramble then top with cheese before baking.
- Green onion — Remove the stem ends from 3 or 4 green onions and then chop up the rest. Add the chopped green onions over the tofu scramble.
- Gravy — Serve this easy vegan gravy on the side to create a “biscuits and gravy” vibe to your morning.
- Vegan Hashbrown Casserole — Add frozen shredded hash browns as a layer in this scramble. I prefer hash browns on top so they’ll get crispy in the oven.
- Just Egg — Tofu scramble only takes minutes to make, but if you prefer an alternative, then cook up some scrambled Just Egg and use it in place of the tofu.
- Veggie Bacon — You can substitute the veggie sausage with veggie bacon. Or add veggie bacon with veggie sausage for a “supreme” type flavor combination. Use store-bought veggie bacon or this smoky vegan tempeh bacon.
Reader Reviews
★★★★★
Carla
We make this breakfast casserole all the time! Thanks for the recipe. I will add tater tots next time!
★★★★★
Jason
I’ve made this breakfast casserole many times and it’s always a hit!
Can I Add Hash Browns?
If you’d like to transform this into a vegan hash brown casserole, let me just say, I get you. Potatoes are always a welcome addition around here! Add a layer of air fryer potatoes in between the sausage and tofu scramble.
What Makes this Casserole Vegan?
By using plant-based ingredients, you can make any casserole vegan. For example, you can use vegan cheddar shreds, tofu scramble, and vegan sausage crumbles for a vegan breakfast casserole.
More Vegan Breakfast Ideas
If you love this make-ahead vegan breakfast casserole, here are some more favorite vegan breakfast ideas for you:
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Vegan Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
Biscuit Layer
- 2 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegan butter sliced
- ⅔ cup vegan buttermilk
Toppings
- Easy Scrambled Tofu
- Veggie Sausage Crumbles * See Note
- 1 cup vegan cheddar shreds
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 400°F. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by spraying with vegetable spray.
For the Biscuit Layer
- (See my note on using store-bought biscuits). In a food processor combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse for a second or two to combine.
- Next, add the sliced vegan butter and soy buttermilk. Pulse again for several seconds to allow the mixture to combine. If it's too crumbly, add a tablespoon or two more of plant-based milk.
- Press the biscuit mixture into the bottom of the pan. You don't have to worry if there are bits of flour here and there. Just make sure it's evenly distributed across the bottom.
Casserole Assembly
- Prepare the Easy Scrambled Tofu according to the recipe linked above.
- While you're waiting for the Scrambled Tofu to cook, spread the veggie sausage crumbles evenly over the top of the biscuit layer.
- Optional: Add a layer of hashbrowns
- Spread the finished Scrambled Tofu evenly over the top of the sausage crumbles.
- Top with shredded vegan cheese.
- Place your dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until the biscuit layer appears done and the cheese is melted. Tip: Sometimes vegan cheese may take a little bit more heat to melt. If so, turn the oven up to 425°F for the last 5 minutes to coax that vegan cheese to melt.
- Remove from the oven to cool. Serve warm.
Recommended Equipment
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Notes
Vegan Sausage Options
- Homemade — Add my sausage spice mix to store-bought veggie crumbles, diced sweet potatoes, quinoa, etc.
- Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage — buy it at health food stores or some national grocery store chains. It’s soft right out of the package, so you should sauté it in a skillet before sprinkling it over the biscuit layer.
- Field Roast makes vegan sausage links, which can be broken into pieces and used in this recipe.
- Vegan Breakfast Sausage Patties — make your own at home with simple ingredients.
Biscuit Layer
You can skip making the vegan biscuits layer and use a 16-ounce can of store-bought biscuits. See my Accidentally Vegan Products for vegan biscuits you can buy. There will be 8 biscuits in a can. Cut the biscuits into quarters and then layer them in the bottom of the pan. This is a great time saver!The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This recipe for vegan breakfast casserole was originally published in 2013 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2020.
Do you pre cook/heat the veggie sausage?
Great question, Lauren. I don’t usually precook the veggie sausage. I just crumble it right over the biscuit layer. However, I’ve found when I’m using Gimme Lean vegan sausage (it comes in a tube similar to sausage), it’s best if cooked first. Most other vegan sausages don’t require that step.
Any recommendations for veggie sausage crumbles?
Great question, Jacquelyn. We oftentimes will use Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage Crumbles. It’s good stuff! You can also make your own. I just posted a recipe recently for making sausage crumbles from oatmeal! Hope that’s helpful!
I made this for our guests (and ourselves, of course) this weekend. It was a hit (and I’m the only vegan… and the rest are rugby players)! I did wish the crust was more like biscuit and less like flour. I assume I did something wrong, any recommendations?
Also, I used your tofu scramble recipe and I’m really excited I made extra so I can just have that this week for breakfast, yum! Thank you for both recipes 🙂
I’m definitely going to make this! I’ll be going grocery shopping Sunday or Monday and plan on picking up extra tofu for it. I’m going to try freezing it and see what happens. Wish me luck! 🙂
Fingers crossed!!
Hi, Marly! I just stumbled upon your blog as I was searching for breakfast casserole recipes. I’m vegan and needing a make-ahead, quick-to-reheat breakfast for weekday mornings. I thought about dividing this recipe into several single-portion dishes and freezing them to reheat later. Have you ever tried freezing this?
Thanks for the inspiration. Even if it doesn’t work out to freeze this, I am still definitely going to make this sometime soon. 🙂
Hi Nichole! I have not tried freezing this, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. The tofu might change consistency a little after freezing, but if you heat it up in a toaster oven that might help both the tofu and the biscuit portion of the recipe get it’s groove back. I hope you do make this and that it works well for you. We are kindred spirits because I also love making dishes on the weekend and then having it as leftovers throughout the week!
I just made this and I am eating it now. This turned out OK. I doubt a omnivore would be impressed, but it would certainly please any veg*n guests.
You raise a good point, Sierra. Not every recipe is going to be a grand slam for every person. I have shared this dish with several omnivores who loved it…and I wasn’t even holding a skillet over their head! 😉
Just made this for Easter breakfast! It was AMAZING! I used your scrambled egg recipe since I didn’t have any Vegg. That recipe on its own was so, so good. Everyone loved the casserole! It was really filling and yummy!
Oh, Angela, you just made my day! I’m SO glad you liked the recipe. I agree with you – the tofu scramble is the bomb! It’s my favorite vegan high-protein breakfast!
Made this for dinner tonight and even the picky 6-year-old loved it! Mushrooms would be a great addition, as would a white/sausage gravy to put on top.
That’s what I was thinking! I’ll give it a try and tell you how it goes.
I can’t wait!
We would do something very close to this for Christmas every year, but I’m having trouble making it vegan. Instead of a biscuit mix on the bottom of the pan, we used buttered bread cut into cubes, then sausage and cheese and an egg/half and half mixture. The egg mixture kind of soaks into the bread and makes it custardy or like french toast. I don’t know how to achieve this. Just gonna make tofu scramble and put it in there I guess. I have vegan bread, butter, and sausage, and I was planning on omitting the cheese (I hate all the ready-made vegan cheeses I’ve tried), I just couldn’t think of a way to make some kind of scrambled egg mixture that will soak into the bread.
Hi Sarah. I wonder if you could try putting together the scrambled tofu mixture without cooking it first. Pouring that over the crust might cause it to blend in more with the biscuit. Hmmm. That’s a good idea. I might have to try that myself!